Government confirms vote on repealing fox hunting ban dropped in this Parliamentary session

In response to the Government’s announcement that they are not to bring forward a free vote on the Hunting Act in this parliamentary session, Lorraine Platt Co-Founder of Conservatives Against Fox Hunting, Blue Fox, said:

“We are pleased to see that the Government has dropped any plans to include a free vote on the Hunting Act in this parliamentary session. Let us be clear, the chances of the legislation being repealed during this parliament are very low. In the last parliament, 83 Conservative MP’s had committed to opposing any repeal of the Hunting Act should a free vote have been called. An additional number of Conservative MPs said they would have abstained. Indeed, during the last few weeks, an increasing number of previously pro-repeal Conservative MP’s reversed their earlier held position and said they would now not vote to repeal the hunting ban. We are confident that currently in excess of one third of Conservative MP’s would vote against repealing the Hunting Act should a vote be held.

We will remain on our guard as the fox hunting issue was not included in the Queen’s Speech after the 2015 General Election but this did not stop the Conservative leadership introducing plans in July 2015 to weaken the ban on hunting with dogs- which were later dropped.

The repeal issue is toxic and misrepresents the mainstream Conservative supporter as well as alienating the new generation of voters and the general public. It cements the opposition argument that there is a perception we are ‘for the few and not the many’ and it has the potential to show us as a party that does not listen not only to its supporters but the country. We must look forwards and not backwards and we must question why time and time again the party leadership listens to the small pressure group of hunt lobbyists, who represent 0.06 percent of the population who actively participate in this activity, when 84 percent of the public don’t want to see fox hunting made legal again.”

Remember fox hunting has nothing to do with animal welfare; in the hunting lobby’s own words they:

Acknowledge ‘hunting is a sport’

“never given up fighting for our sport”

Lord Mancroft

Chairman of The Council of Hunting Associations
May 2017

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Acknowledge ‘Hounds tear live foxes apart’

“nor does she want to tear apart a live fox – that’s the job of the hounds,”

James Barrington

Consultant to the Countryside Alliance, Council of Hunting Associations and the All Party Parliamentary Middle Way Group
ConservativeHome – 3 June 2017